Lake Champlain 70% Sao Thome Bar

Posted by Edmund in Chocolate, Featured Articles, Gourmet Chocolate Bars, USA | 0 comments

Apr 17, 11

Composition: 70% Dark Chocolate.
Region of Production: USA.
Origin of Cocoa: Sao Thome.
Price: $4.50 for 85g.

The bar looks great. As I’ve stated before, the simple, colorful paper packaging may seem a bit cheap, but I actually like it. The bar itself is one of Lake Champlain’s nicer-looking bars, too. There are slight signs of smearing, but I can’t complain about the quality of the make. The bar breaks into perfect squares with perfectly smooth edges—something you normally don’t get at even far higher price points. The color is consistent and beautifully intense, with a slight shine to it, too (though the gloss could be nicer).

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The aroma is wonderful, overflowing with fruiter notes from a tropical jungle. Expect a bit of coffee mixed in with blackberries, cherries, and raspberries. Very strong cocoa smell, though subtle.

That aroma really embodies the taste, which is far stronger and more complex than I expected. It starts off almost milky, with a bit of delicious richness and some fruity sweetness. The fruity notes resemble raspberries and yellow bananas, lightening the load of the intense bitterness. There is also just a bit of sour-sweet cherry that hits you near the end. As you savor it, though, the chocolate asserts itself in full force, with a very earthy, smoky coffee flavor. It also contains overtones of red wine and oak.

As for length, this bar is by far longer than anything I’ve ever had from Lake Champlain before, and it goes to show you the intensity of Sao Thome cocoa. You’ll easily be tasting it after 10 minutes. The flavor leaves you fuming out a smoky, puckering bitterness that I find fantastic. The finish also tastes slightly salty and dry, a combo I think works well with the smokiness.

As for texture, the bar seems a bit hard at first, especially with its tough snap. Surprisingly, though, the chocolate melts very easily, leaving a thick residue across the whole mouth. The flavor, in all of its complexity, slides across the palate, yet because the melt is so smooth, so even, and so well-paced, the flavor doesn’t bombard you but rather comes in nice, easy layers. And while the bar uses lecithin, the intense flavor of the bar more than covers up the slight waxiness.

Scores

Presentation: 4.0/5.0
Taste: 4.2+/5.0
Length: 4.3+/5.0. Probably a 4.7 for something at this price level.
Melt: 4.2/5.0
Value: 4.6/5.0
Verdict: 4.3+/5.0. Perhaps one of the best lower-end dark chocolates I’ve ever tasted.